Skirting boards and facia covers therefor

ABSTRACT

The invention comprises a facia cover for existing skirting boards or for substitution for a skirting board where none is fitted within in which brackets are provided to support and conceal electric lighting and other wiring.

[ Aug. 19, 1975 United States Patent [191 Smith 1 SKIRTING BOARDS AND FACIA COVERS 2,203,119 6/1940 Wollaeger........

10/1944 Barnes......... 11/1966 THEREFOR Pangerlwmu. ,1. 52/287 52/287 9/1969 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 5/1967 Brown ct a1.

[76] Inventor: Ronald Smith, 73 Hampton Road,

Manchester, Lancaster, England Mar. 4, 1974 [22] Filed:

110,186 l/l970 Denmark.................... 52/290 686,179 3/1965 52/290 Appl. No.: 447,641

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner price p J May 18, 1973 United Kingdom............... 23864/73 Attorney, Agent, or F irm-N0rris & Bateman g n .U .B X e r :m r e v 0 c a Td we R a T s S 6 B r A P m 0 c n 0 .U n e V n .1 Ne HMQ WW2 21 a 52% 7 8 M 2" 5 7 0O 2 .2 5

52 US. 51 Int. [58] Field of Search skirting boards or for substitution for a skirting board where none is fitted within in which brackets are provided to support and conceal electric lighting and other wiring.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,942,137 1/1934 Connell et a1. 52/287 6 Claims, 9 r wing Figures PATENTEU AUG] 9 I975 SHEET 2 UK {1 SKIRTING BOARDS AND FACIA COVERS THEREFOR This invention relates to improvements in facia covers of the kind adapted to be applied over an existing skirting board to house and conceal electric wiring and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a facia cover for skirting boards which is readily removable during decorating a room and for the installation, removal and inspection of electric wiring for power plugs and other electric fittings.

According to the invention a facia covering of the kind referred to comprises a facia cover to enclose or replace an existing skirting board and a bracket or brackets for affixing to the skirting board or to a wall, a cavity being provided within the facia cover to house electric wiring.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a facia cover;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a skirting board with a facia cover applied thereto;

of FIG. 3 is a vertical section on line 33 FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views of portions of a skirting board with further forms of facia covers applied thereto; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevation of part of a facia cover notched for severing by application to skirting boards of different heights.

A facia cover A as shown in FIGS. 1-3 is formed with a face a the upper portion a of which is inclined rearwardly to extend over the top of an existing skirting board B. The extreme upper edge of the upper portion a is bent down to form a flange a to lie substantially parallel with the face a.

A bracket C or brackets is/are affixed to the top of the skirting board B behind which the flange a is inserted to retain the facia cover in position.

Clips are affixed to the base of the bracket C to secure electric Wiring 0 in position in the cavity formed between the skirting board B and the facia cover A. The adjoining ends of the cover A at a comer are chamfered or metered to form a joint as shown in FIG. 2 and are formed with a cut-away portion C for the passage of the wiring to a wall socket and wall plug c Alternatively the facia cover A may be formed as shown in FIG. 4 with downwardly extending ribs a on the under surface of the upper portion a to engage slots c in the upper surface of the brackets C to retain the cover in position, and with a resilient or feather edge a engaging the wall to prevent dust from entering the cavity below the cover.

In FIG. face a has generally horizontal ribs a projecting internally into slots formed in the front sides of brackets C. In FIG. 6 the face a is provided with an internal rib a and the upper portion with internal downwardly projecting ribs a to engage respectively with slots 0 formed in the brackets C.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show further forms of the upper portion a and of the slotted brackets c, the rearmost rib a in FIG. 7 engaging behind inclined flange c on the bracket C instead of into a slot as in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 shows single apart internal ribs a and a projecting into the bracket slots. The ribs a and a may be provided with a beaded edges to spring into the bracket slots (FIGS. 6 and 8).

The face a of the cover A may be formed with grooves a extending longitudinally thereof as shown in FIG. 9 in order to accommodate the height of the cover A as required to the existing skirting B by cutting the face along the appropriate groove.

The facia cover A and brackets C may be of metal or of a plastics material such as p.v.c. and produces an attractive aesthetic appearance in a room.

What I claim is:

1. Means for the detachable covering of an existing skirting board extending along the wall of a room at the floor and having a top extending away from the wall comprising a facia cover and means for mounting said cover on the board, said cover comprising a vertical portion adapted for extending upward from adjacent the floor and having an integral upper end portion adapted for extending over said top portion of the board to the wall, said upper end portion having a longitudinal resilient edge for engaging the wall with a substantially dust tight fit, and a plurality of integral longitudinal internal ribs on said cover projecting toward said board, and said mounting means comprising a plurality of brackets adapted to be secured upon said top portion of the board, each of said brackets having a pluralaity of longitudinal slots adapted to receive in interfitting relation the ribs on said cover, and said brackets comprising the sole connections between said cover and the skirting board.

2. The means defined in claim 1, wherein said ribs are adjacent and parallel and the slots in said brackets are correspondingly located.

3. The means defined in claim 2, wherein said ribs are formed on the inner side of said upper end portion of the cover, and the slots in said brackets are correspondingly located.

4. The means defined in claim 2, wherein said ribs are formed on the inner side of the vertical portion of said cover, and the slots in said brackets are correspondingly located.

5. The means defined in claim 1, wherein said ribs are formed respectively on said upper end portion and said vertical portion of the cover and extend at right angles to each other, and said slots in the brackets are correspondingly located.

6. The means defined in claim 1, wherein wire holding clips are mounted on the brackets for holding wiring extending through the space between the cover and board. 

1. Means for the detachable covering of an existing skirting board extending along the wall of a room at the floor and having a top extending away from the wall comprising a facia cover and means for mounting said cover on the board, said cover comprising a vertical portion adapted for extending upward from adjacent the floor and having an integral upper end portion adapted for extending over said top portion of the board to the wall, said upper end portion having a longitudinal resilient edge for engaging the wall with a substantially dust tight fit, and a plurality of integral longitudinal internal ribs on said cover projecting toward said board, and said mounting means comprising a plurality of brackets adapted to be secured upon said top portion of the board, each of said brackets having a pluralaity of longitudinal slots adapted to receive in interfitting relation the ribs on said cover, and said brackets comprising the sole connections between said cover and the skirting board.
 2. The means defined in claim 1, wherein said ribs are adjacent and parallel and the slots in said brackets are correspondingly located.
 3. The means defined in claim 2, wherein said ribs are formed on the inner side of said upper end portion of the cover, and the slots in said brackets are correspondingly located.
 4. The means defined in claim 2, wherein said ribs are formed on the inner side of the vertical portion of said cover, and the slots in said brackets are correspondingly located.
 5. The means defined in claim 1, wherein said ribs are formed respectively on said upper end portion and said vertical portion of the cover and extend at right angles to each other, and said slots in the brackets are correspondingly located.
 6. The means defined in claim 1, wherein wire holding clips are mounted on the brackets for holding wiring extending through the space between the cover and board. 